A woman has revealed how trendy vitamin drips loved by celebs cured the chronic eczema that left her skin red raw and weeping in just four sessions.
Leeds-born Sarah Wheately, 22, who is based in Huddersfield developed eczema three-and-a-half years ago and it became so bad that she was sometimes unable to go to work because the pain was so severe she couldn’t wear clothes.
Then, a friend at work recommended Megaboost IV therapy, which contains a high dose of Vitamin C coupled with minerals, antioxidants and electrolytes.
Such vitamin drips are loved by celebs who use them for a health boost, as they’re supposedly good for curing hangovers, preventing against colds and even boosting brain power.
But for Sarah, the real impact was on her skin, which started to clear up after just four sessions on the drip.
Sarah Wheately, 22, of Huddersfield developed eczema when she was 19 but saw the condition improve after having four vitamin drips (pictured recently after treatment), a trendy wellness treatment loved by celebrities
Sarah’s skin was either incredibly dry and itchy or red raw and weeping, and often she’d have to wear bandages instead of proper clothing
After just four treatments on the Megaboost IV therapy, Sarah noticed a significant improvement in the skin on her legs, which were the worst affected
Sarah developed small patches of eczema in the creases of her arms, but withing months it had taken over majority of my skin, even in her ears, and was at its worst on her legs and arms.
‘My eczema got so bad that I couldn’t always go into work and I work at a desk in an office,’ she recalled. ‘I lived in bandages, my fiancé had to dress me, and I barely slept.
‘My skin was raw, I could barely move, wearing clothes and having bedsheets touch me was painful and my skin was constantly weeping.
‘Showering or bathing reduced me to tears as it felt like my skin was burning. Every time I moved there was a pile of skin behind me. I would wear clothes for a couple of hours before they needed cleaning.
Sarah pictured on a recent holiday with her family. She’s now able to enjoy life again after her severe eczema left her not wanting to leave the house during bad flare ups
Before treatment, Sarah had patches of eczema under her arms before having treatment, while her forearms were constantly red and itchy. However, after four sessions of vitamin drip therapy her skin is more or less clear
‘It got to a point where I couldn’t remember what my skin used to look or feel like.’
‘In the end, I just didn’t like going out, I was embarrassed about how I looked and how it made me feel and how much I would scratch my skin.
‘Getting dressed in the morning was the hardest part of each day. Would these clothes be too itchy? Would I get too warm and flare up? Am I not covered enough and get to cold and have my skin dry up?
‘If I’m not covered up enough will be skin touch something and flare up? It was this constant battle just to get dressed. I love clothes and fashion so it was a real low point for me.’
Sarah went back and forth to doctors and dermatologist appointments, as often as once a week, but none of the treatments she was offered worked.
‘They didn’t know what caused it they just knew it was eczema,’ she said.
‘Steroid creams only help to calm down the redness, other creams only help to stop it being dry. But even sometimes that only helped for an hour or so.
‘I have been prescribed anti-histamine tablets before but they don’t help. The really strong ones make me really drowsy and dizzy but they don’t help with the eczema symptoms.
‘When I had infections, I was prescribed anti-biotics and these did help but once I was off them the eczema came back.’
Before she had treatment, Sarah hated leaving the house and sometimes had to stay off work as it was too painful for her to sit at a desk at work
Knowing how much she was suffering, a work colleague put her in touch with Dr Michael Barnish from REVIV UK.
‘I hate needles, so on first day at REVIV I was very nervous. I am taking the Megaboost IV therapy with two glutathione pushes during the IV.
The treatment itself is a lot better than I expected, it’s quite relaxing – even if I still can’t look at the needle!’
‘I saw some differences immediately, like after my first treatment if I had a flare up it would calm down quicker than before.
‘By my second treatment I was seeing large physical differences in my skin. By my third or fourth I was sleeping the whole night through every night – which I’ve not done since my eczema started, so this was a massive improvement for my health and my own day to day life.’
In addition, Sarah cut down on dairy, soy or sugary as well as limiting processed foods, alcohol and caffeine on the advice of Dr Michael.
‘All of this really does help and things like sugar and dairy and soy do flare up your immune system, so every little change like this does help,’ she explained.
Sarah is now back at work, sleeping through the night and is barely suffering from any redness or dryness.
She can also exercise again, which was impossible previously when even just moving around and walking was a painful effort.
Sarah pictured at her graduation from the University of Huddersfield. Since having treatment she’s able to sleep through the night and has no problem going to work or exercising anymore
‘I still itch a little, mostly towards the end of the day or after a shower, but I feel awake and energetic,’ she said.
‘I feel like my skin looks normal and I’m not limited to where I can go and what I can do or wear. The treatment really has changed my life. I know the eczema will never fully go away but the treatment makes me feel and look like it has.’
Sarah has also set up a blog AVIDfashion where she writes about organic and sustainable fabrics that haven’t had harmful dyes or chemicals on them to produce them and are kind to skin.